NTC's American English Learner's Dictionary is designed specifically for persons who are seeking to improve their knowledge of the English language as it is used in the United States of America. The word list is derived from a corpus of material used at the intermediate and advanced levels of English language education. It is a simplified dictionary in that it focuses on basic vocabulary presented in a clear and uncomplicated format and using a minimum of codes, abbreviations, and typographical devices.Special attention has been paid to those elements of English with which most learners have difficulty, including pronunciation, the use of the plural, irregular forms, idioms, and phrases. Irregular forms appear as main entries, each with a pronunciation guide and a cross-reference to the full noun, verb, adjective, or adverb entry.While the dictionary is quite suitable for learners in the early stages, it is really aimed at developing the vocabularies of learners at the intermediate and advanced levels. These learners approach dictionaries with a wide variety of needs and preexisting skills. It is not really possible for a dictionary maker to know, or even estimate, the size of the vocabulary that an individual user who is beginning to use a dictionary will have. A learner's vocabulary is always expanding and should continue to grow as the learner moves ahead in language studies. The definitions in this dictionary rely on a controlled defining vocabulary for the basic words, but do not exclude more difficult words when they are needed for more difficult concepts. In many instances, more than one definition is given, offering the learner additional help in figuring out the meaning of a word or expression. Virtually all the words used in the definitions and examples appear as entries in this dictionary, allowing the learner to unravel even the more complicated definitions.Every full entry contains at least two full-sentence examples showing a typical use of the entry word in context. Learners will very often utilize the context-rich examples more than the definitions to figure out the exact meaning of a specific sense of a word. This dictionary provides more examples of real language use and more useful context than any other learner's dictionary. Use of this dictionary establishes or strengthens the kinds of vocabulary-acquisition skills that a learner must have to advance in language learning and to develop a vocabulary equal to that of a native speaker of English.The dictionary was developed solely for the use of learners and was not derived from any existing dictionary. The word list, definitions, and examples were composed and edited to aid in advancing the use and understanding of the English language as it is spoken and written in the United States.